Photo : Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Vallée du Queyras
The Queyras occupies an enclosed valley of the Hautes-Alpes, squeezed between summits peaking beyond 3,000 metres. Long isolated by its relief, the region has kept a remarkable traditional built heritage, made of wooden chalets and shingle roofs, as well as a pastoral way of life still very much alive.
Erected as a regional nature park, the Queyras now protects a mosaic of larch forests, alpine pastures and perched villages, including Saint-Véran, often cited as one of the highest communes in Europe. Fort Queyras, a former stronghold remodelled by Vauban, still watches over the valley from its rocky spur.
The valley lends itself as well to summer hiking as to winter mountain activities, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing first among them, in an environment kept apart from the great Alpine resorts.
